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On May 7, 2020 at 1pm EST, join CB Insights principal insurance analyst Mike Fitzgerald to learn how insurers are using digital technology to protect their businesses and lower costs.

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$4.5B: Enterprise data infrastructure startup Confluent raised $250M at a $4.5B valuation. One of Confluent’s earliest investors was CB Insights Smart Money VC Benchmark, which first backed Confluent in 2014 at a $29M valuation. We look at what we can learn from the early-stage bets of the world’s top-performing VCs in this report. 

-1,000 jobs: Augmented reality startup Magic Leap reportedly cut about 1,000 jobs — half of its workforce — as it doubles down on selling to enterprises as opposed to consumers. We discuss the rise of companies like Magic Leap, along with tech giants like Microsoft and Google, offering augmented reality to enterprises in our report on 14 tech trends to watch in 2020.
 

$11M: San Francisco-based startup Remote raised $11M in seed funding. The company aims to help businesses hire and onboard distributed teams, as the Covid-19 pandemic causes many organizations to run their operations virtually. We highlight 65+ startups enabling remote work in this market map. 

$5M: Cancer treatment startup Paige.AI announced that it raised $5M from Goldman Sachs. Paige is included in CB Insights’ 2020 AI 100 list of the most promising artificial intelligence startups in the world. See all 100 featured startups here.  
 

4 cities: China launched a test of its central bank-backed digital currency in 4 cities. China is not the only country exploring central bank-backed digital currencies — nations like the UK are also looking at the tech. We dig into this trend, and many more, in our 2020 Blockchain Report.

$29M: Human-grade dog food co Ollie raised $29M. We featured the startup in our  client-exclusive market map of 75+ companies transforming pet care. Pets are a big business and the space is set to keep growing. See how dog-supply subscription company BarkBox tapped into this market in our report on 14 of the most successful direct-to-consumer business models.    
 

50%: Research published in Nature found that consumers on average underestimate the cost of car ownership by around 50%. The results point to both the opportunities and challenges associated with marketing electric cars — which proponents say would be cheaper to run and maintain. We analyze the electric vehicle landscape in this report.  

-$40 per barrel: The price of a barrel of US crude oil went negative this week, dropping to nearly -$40 per barrel before rebounding. The historic plunge was attributed to the fear of storage space running out in the coming weeks, as oil demand remains low due to locked-down consumers limiting travel. 
 

+10%: Gaming giant Nintendo is reportedly planning to increase production of its Switch console by around 10% to better meet the spike in demand caused by social distancing measures. Clients can see the startup funding trends shaping the gaming industry in this interactive report.
 

-60%: A key measure of air pollution is down significantly in cities around the world as a consequence of social distancing measures, according to a report by Switzerland-based IQair. Air pollution in Delhi is down 60% year-over-year, while New York saw a 25% reduction YoY. Outdoor air pollution is estimated to cause 4.2M deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. From next-gen nuclear energy to sustainable shippers, we look at some of the startups that could help reduce air pollution in our 2020 Game Changers report.  

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Looking for a unique job with flexible hours, lots of time in nature, and unparalleled Instagram content? Try professional falconry, a path that's increasingly drawing the interest of young career seekers. 

Bird abatement companies use falcons to scare away “pest birds,” such as seagulls, sparrows, and pigeons, from a range of properties.

It’s a difficult job, requiring long hours, and costs for food, training, and gear can add up quickly. But the hardest part of the job? Unreciprocated love, according to one falconer.